Display sign



Deco 6, W66 L. F. GDLKOWSKi 3,289,337

DISPLAY SIGN Filed May 8, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

United States Patent 3,289,337 DISPLAY SIGN Lloyd F. Golkowski, 4921 E. 106th St., Garfield Heights, Ohio Filed May 8, 1964, Ser. No. 366,087 6 Claims. (Cl. 40125) This invention relates to an advertising sign in which a part or all of the advertising matter is to be changed periodically.

Specifically, the invention relates to an advertising sign which is particularly desirable for use in advertising real estate and the like at the building site.

In general practice, realtors provide at the building site suitable signs featuring the name of the realtor and the legend that the house is for sale. Generally these signs are printed on a heavy paper which is tacked onto the house or onto the board which is mounted on a stake and driven into the ground. These printed signs are unchangeable, and when the house is sold the realtor desires to change the legend to show that he has sold the house. For this purpose he must supply a new sign showing that the place has been sold by his organization.

Sometimes, instead of paper signs, metal signs are fastened appropriately to the house or to the stake supported board in the yard.

However, such temporary signs are subject to very rapid deterioration, the paper signs being torn by wind or destroyed by the weather, and the metal signs frequently are bent and marred so that the underlying metal is exposed and rusts. Likewise, the stake supported board used for mounting deteriorates rapidly under the conditions of use.

The sign of the present invention is essentially a more permanent frame which can withstand the rigors of the weather and can be reused repeatedly at different sites and of which the advertising indicia can be changed readily from time to time.

The sign includes a suitable cabinet with transparent walls in which several advertising placards can be stored and each exposed selectively through the transparent walls when desired, without removing the frame and cabinet from its position. The sign is so arranged that a large number of combinations of messages can be exposed by interchangeable placards which may be kept permanently in the frame cabinet when not in use.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description wherein reference is made to the drawings, in which FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of a sign embodying the principles of my invention;

FIG. 2 is a front elevation of the sign shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a left end elevation of the sign shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical section of the sign taken on the lines 4-4 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary horizontal sectional view of the sign taken on the line 55 in FIGS. 2 and FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view of the lower portion of the sign taken on the line 6-6 in FIG. 2; and

FIG. 7 is an additionally fragmentary vertical sectional view of the upper portion of the sign taken on line 7-7 of FIG. 2, showing the manner of supporting the interchangeable placards in the cabinet.

Referring to the drawings, the sign comprises a rigid frame 1 which is composed of upright side frame members or uprights 2 in the form of open-sided channels opening toward each other inwardly of the frame. The ugights 2 are held fixedly in spaced relation by transverse tie members 3 and 4 which preferably have planar "ice upper surfaces for supporting the container, as will later be described.

The lower ends of the uprights 2 are preferably sharpened, as indicated at 5, so that they can readily be driven in the ground. Steps 6 are secured to the uprights 2 for the convenience in driving them into the ground or forcing them into the ground by foot pressure. At the top of the uprights additional cross ties in the form of bars 8 are provided. The bars 8 are juxtaposed against the front and rear faces of the uprights 2. One is welded to the front faces and the other to the rear faces of the uprights.

In the form illustrated, the two bars 8 are formed of a continuous piece of bar metal bent intermediate its ends, as indicated at 8a, and having the other ends bent and welded together as indicated at 81), thus forming a rigid loop structure of which the ends extend laterally relative to the sign beyond the lateral outermost faces of the up rights 2.

Referring first to the upper portion of the sign, the transverse member 3 has, as mentioned, a planar upper surface, and is provided at the front and rear with abutments 9 which are arranged in pairs, the abutments of each pair being spaced apart forwardly and rearwardly of the sign so as to receive therebetween the lower end of the cabinet of the sign, later to be described, thus reinforcing it against deflection flatwise when subjected to high winds and the like.

For containing the display advertising placards, a suitable container 10 is provided. The container 10 comprises a peripheral frame including a bottom member 11, upright side members 12, and transparent front and rear walls 13 and 14. The walls 13 and 14 are secured in face to face juxtaposition with the front and rear faces, respectively, of the frame members, and fixedly bonded thereto so that the cabinet is weather-proof at all points. The cabinet 10 is open at the top, and the top is closed by a removable cap or cover 15, having a top wall 15a, end walls 15b, and front and rear walls 16 and 17, respectively. The front and rear walls of the cover 15 are adapted to rest at their lower edges on the bars 8 and support the cover thereby with the top wall 15a spaced slightly above the upper edges of the front and rear walls 13 and 14 of the cabinet. In order to hold the cover 15 in place so it will not be dislodged by wind and the like, a suitable Oclamp 20 is provided. The C- clamp has, at its open side, inturned flanges 21 which, when the clamp is pressed firmly down onto the cover 15, engage the underfaces of the bars 8. The C-clamp is open at the ends and can be slid into position, with the flanges 21 beneath the bars 8, so that the base of the clamp rests on the top cover 15 in sufficiently tight fitting relation so that the lower edges of the walls 16 and 17 of the cover are firmly seated on the bars 8. Suitable finger grips 22 are provided for convenience in sliding the cap 20 endwise of the bars 8.

As mentioned, the portions 8a and 8b of the bars 8 extend outwardly beyond the edges of the frame and these provide supports on which the clamp may be hooked for convenience of the operator while he is changing the placards. If desired, the clamp may be magnetic so as to assure its better retention on the selected portion 8a or 8b.

Disposed within the container is the main display placard 23 which preferably is double faced with advertising indicia and the like on both faces. For example, in real estate signs, it may be the name, address, and telephone number or the realtor. Near the upper portion of the sign may be the words such as For Sale or the like. However, the placard may substantially fill the interior of the cabinet peripherally and the cabinet is sufiiciently wide, forwardly and rearwardly, to accommodate additional cards. Thus, for example, a house is first advertised by the sign as being For Sale. When it is sold, an additional placard, for example, Sold By may be inserted in the cabinet in overlying face to face relation to the upper For Sale portion of the placard 23. Thus, without disturbing the placard 23, the message can be changed. For this latter purpose, two placards such as indicated at 24, may be provided. For holding the placards 24 conveniently in place, suitable hangers 25 are provided. In the form illustrated, the hanger 25 is a strap bent between its ends so as to fit over the top of the placard 23 for supportmg the hanger in place, While the extreme end portions are bent back upwardly to provide cradles for accommodating the placards 24.

In the form illustrated, the hanger 25 is W-sha-ped in cross section, with its central portion in the form of crest 25a which rests upon the upper edge of the placard 23 and depending portions 25b which extend downwardly a pre determined distance, and free end portions indicated at 250 which are bent upwardly to provide the cradles. Placards 24 can be dropped into place in'the cradles, respectively, and supported thereby in overlying concealing relation to the upper portion of the placard 23. The placards 24 can be double faced and readily changed without disturbing the placard 23. For assisting in gripping the placards, thumb notches 26 are provided in the top margins of the front and rear walls of the container.

In addition to the normal advertising, it is often desirable to emphasize certain features of the house and for this purpose an additional message container 30 may be provided. The container 30 may be in all operating respects, except height and width, the same as cabinet 10 above described. In the form illustrated the container 30 is shown as including a bottom wall 31, end walls 32, and front and rear walls 33 and 34, respectively. These walls maybe integral and of transparent plastic. The container 30 is closed at the top by a removable cover 35 which also may be of molded plastic. The container rests on the upper edge of the transverse member 4. Front and rear retaining bars 36 are provided on the frame between the upright members 2 at a location near the top of the container 30. The cover 35 is such that its lower edge rests on the bars 36. It is held in place by a clamp 37 having inturned bottom flanges 38 which can engage beneath the undersides of bars 36. Suitable finger grips 39 are provided on the clamp 37. The clamp 37 operates in the same manner as the clamp 20 heretofore described. If desired, suitable fins 41 can be provided on the bar 4 for centering the cabinets 30 edgewise of the frame 2.

Pairs of front and rear abutments 42 may 'be provided on the cross member 4, thus reinforcing the container 30 against fiatwise deflection by high winds and the like.

The container 30 is adapted to hold a plurality of individually replaceable placards 40 so that the message can be changed readily without the necessity of the salesman carrying about a large number of placards.

Such plastic cabinets with tight fitting covers are preferred as they tend not to sweat inside, as does glass and some other transparent materials. Thus the placards therein remain clearly visible under most operating conditions. They protect the placards within from the deleterious effects of weather. Thus the cabinets 10 is secured by having its lateral edges between the side walls of the upright channel members 2 and is reinforced forwardly and rearwardly by having its lower edge disposed between the abutments 9. The top edge is reinforced against deflection flatwise by the bars 8 and the clamp 20. Likewise, the lower container 30 is well reinforced against flatwise deflection at the top by virtue of the bars 36 and at the bottom by the abutments 42.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. An advertising sign apparatus comprising a rigid frame including a pair of upright channels having their open sides in spaced parallel aligned relation to each other and opening toward each other, means for supporting the channels in upright position, said channels being open at their upper ends,

an open top container having transparent imperforate front and rear walls spaced flatwise from each other with the space therebetween closed in sealed relation at the lateral edges of the front and rear walls by side walls, respectively,

the lateral edges of the container being slidably supported in the channels for vertical movement therealong, said container being insertable in, and removable from the channels through the open upper ends of the channels,

means on the frame limiting the downward movement of the container relative to the channels and positively constraining the container to a position wherein the upper margin of the container extends a substantial distance above the frame such that the upper margin can be grasped by the fingers for lifting the container upwardly out of the frame,

a detachable cover on and closing the open top of the container and having front and rear walls in overlapping relation to said portion of the margins above the frame,

and a stiff double face removable placard receivable in the container through the open top thereof, said placard being substantially coextensive with said front and rear walls of the container.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein a remova le auxiliary placard is receivable in the container through the open top in overlying face to face position relative to a portion of the double face placard,

and supporting means are provided in the container and are detachably supported by the double face placard and, in turn, detachably support the auxiliary placard in said overlying position.

3. An apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the sup porting means in the container is a pair of clips each having a downwardly opening C-shape portion detachably accommodating an upper portion of the stiff placard between the C-arms with the juncture of the arms resting on the upper edge of the stiff placard, and each having an upwardly opening cradle portion at one face of the stiff placard detachably accommodating and supporting the auxiliary placard in face to face relation to the stiff placard.

4. An apparatus according to claim 3 wherein each clip includes a second upwardly open cradle portion disposed at the other face of the stiff placard, and a second auxiliary placard is detachably accommodated in the second cradle portion in overlying face to face relation to a portion of the other face of the stiff placard.

5. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said frame has front and rear horizontal cross-tie members adjacent the upper ends of the channels, and the lower edges of said cover rest on the cross-tie members when the cap is in closing relation to the open top of the container.

6. An apparatus according to claim 5 wherein a detachable C-shape clamp is provided and has a body portion and arms depending therefrom with lower inturned marginal flanges in engagement with the under faces of the cross-tie members, respectively, when the body portion bears on the cover, and said clamp is slidable along the cover and cross-tie members to and from the lateral edge of the frame.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,127,223 2/1915 Fogle 40-63 2,010,274 8/1935 Pleuthner 4064 2,162,025 6/1939 McClaughry 40-64 2,297,574 9/ 1942 McCord 40-64 2,552,745 5/1951 Stanley et al. 40-425 2,872,750 2/1959 Holcomb 40-425 EUGENE R. CAPOZIO, Primary Examiner.

W. GRIEB, Assistant Examiner. 

1. AN ADVERTISING SIGN APPARATUS COMPRISING A RIGID FRAME INCLUDING A PAIR OF UPRIGHT CHANNELS HAVING THEIR OPEN SIDES IN SPACED PARALLEL ALIGNED RELATION TO EACH OTHER AND OPENING TOWARD EACH OTHER, MEANS FOR SUPPORTING THE CHANNELS IN UPRIGHT POSITION, SAID CHANNELS BEING OPEN AT THEIR UPPER ENDS, AN OPEN TOP CONTAINER HAVING TRANSPARENT IMPERFORATE FRONT AND REAR WALLS SPACED FLATWISE FROM EACH OTHER WITH THE SPACE THEREBETWEEN CLOSED IN SEALED RELATION AT THE LATERAL EDGES OF THE FRONT AND REAR WALLS BY SIDE WALLS, RESPECTIVELY, THE LATERAL EDGES OF THE CONTAINER BEING SLIDABLY SUPPORTED IN THE CHANNELS FOR VERTICAL MOVEMENT THEREALONG, SAID CONTAINER BEING INSERTABLE IN, AND REMOVABLE FROM THE CHANNELS THROUGH THE OPEN UPPER ENDS OF THE CHANNELS, MEANS ON THE FRAME LIMITING THE DOWNWARD MOVEMENT OF THE CONTAINER RELATIVE TO THE CHANNELS AND POSITIVELY CONSTRAINING THE CONTAINER TO A POSITION WHEREIN THE UPPER MARGIN OF THE CONTAINER EXTENDS A SUBSTANTIAL DISTANCE ABOVE THE FRAME SUCH THAT THE UPPER MARGIN CAN BE GRASPED BY THE FINGERS FOR LIFTING THE CONTAINER UPWARDLY OUT OF THE FRAME, A DETACHABLE COVER ON AND CLOSING THE OPEN TOP OF THE CONTAINER AND HAVING FRONT AND REAR WALLS IN OVERLAPPING RELATION TO SAID PORTION OF THE MARGINS ABOVE THE FRAME, AND A STIFF DOUBLE FACE REMOVABLE PLACARD RECEIVABLE IN THE CONTAINER THROUGH THE OPEN TOP THEREOF, SAID PLACARD BEING SUBSTANTIALLY COEXTENSIVE WITH SAID FRONT AND REAR WALLS OF THE CONTAINER. 